OF late, the global and domestic efforts to fight the dadah
scourge came into spotlight. On the eve of the next millennium when mankind is striving
for a dadah-free world, the moves are both urgent and appropriate as the statistic are
overwhelming that dadah abuse is every nation's problem. In setting out an ambitious
10-year programme to fight the menace this month, the United Nation said more than 200
million people use dadah, from glue-sniffing street children to teenage Ecstasy users to
hard-core heroin addicts. One of the greatest challenges in the international fight
against dadah trafficking has for several years been the misuse of chemical products to
make dadah, including amphetamines and other synthetic dadah, said the UN Drug Control
Programme, architect of the global move. Malaysia has pledged support for the UN action
plan against the manufacture, trafficking and abuse of Amphetamine Type Stimulants and
their precursors. In view of the rampant abuse of Ecstasy pills and other amphetamine, the
country has made trafficking in these substances a capital offence with the recent passage
of amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act. This weeks' announcement that a module to equip
future teachers to deal with dadah problems in schools will be introduced in training
colleges next year, points to yet another move in the right direction. The subject will
not doubt make the dadah preventation campaign in schools more comprehensive. Hitherto,
teachers do not have formal knowledge in dadah preventation. at the school and even
kindergarten level cannot be overemphasized. Thus the Government's new 25-year plan to
produce a generation free from dadah abuse by the year 2023, deserves the support of all.
The two-pronged strategy to rid the country of narcotic drugs, from the house right to the
workplace requires the co-operation of the whole community. The idea is to have
preliminary prevention at the school level with a 15-year target to create a dadah-free
environment. The national-level prevention strategy entails having the home, society and
workplaces, such as factories, to help eradicate the problem. The oft-heard statement that
Malaysia's fight against the dadah scourge remains an uphill battle must not discourage us
from soldiering on towards a zero-dadah objectives. Granted that dadah abuse is still a
serious problem despite years of stringent laws and tough enforcement, there cannot be any
let-up in the national effort to stamp out this blight. Official statistics show there are
some 200,000 registered addicts. Last year alone, 17,342 were first-time offenders of the
36,284 addicts identified. That there had been a significant 25 per cent increase in the
number of dadah addicts and pushers nabbed by the police and other authorities in the in
the past two years should be sufficient to warn us that the problem will grow even worse
if we should slacken our vigilance. The active role of parents and the community in the
campaign to check dadah abuse is vital if the nation wants to ensure that addiction among
students and young workers does not become more prevalent. Of paramount importance is that
parents should not be a hindrance to the preventive measures such as urine tests on their
children as early intervention is vital for those who may be just starting to experiment
with dadah.